


The Tempest

by eternaleponine



Category: Hornblower (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-16
Updated: 2012-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-29 16:32:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/321866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternaleponine/pseuds/eternaleponine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shortly after being transferred to The Indefatigable, they are forced to weather a storm, and Archie doesn't handle it well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tempest

"Archie?" Horatio called. "Mister Kennedy?" He thought perhaps the younger man would respond to the more formal address, thinking he was being summoned to deck. In truth, their watch was over, and he was worried that his friend hadn't come to the midshipman's berth to sleep.

He stuck his head out of the hatch again, looking around, although it was impossible to see much of anything in the driving rain. The ship pitched, and they'd shortened all sail, lest they lose it in the gale. All they could do now was ride the storm out, and according to some of the more experienced men, it might be days. Thunder cracked overhead and lightning slashed the sky.

"Have you seen Mister Kennedy?" he asked the midshipman of the watch.

"Not since he went below," he replied. "Is he not down there?"

"I must have just missed him," Horatio said. "Thank you." He ducked his head to go back down the ladder. He scoured the crew deck and checked the midshipman's berth, but to no avail. Finally he headed down the next hatch and into the hold.

"Archie?" he called again. He pitched his voice low so that it wouldn't draw attention, but had to speak loud enough that if Archie was down here, he could hear him over the crashing of the waves against the hull.

He thought he heard something moving around, too big to be a rat, and he headed for it. There was hardly any light down here; all unnecessary lanterns had been doused as fire hazards. "Please, Archie, if you're down here..."

Finally he caught a flash of something pale, perhaps skin or a white shirt. He picked his way between boxes and barrels and crouched down. "Archie, what are you doing down here?" he asked, even more quietly now that he was close enough to touch the other man, although some instinct told him not to.

Archie didn't answer. He didn't even look at Horatio, although his eyes were wide. His arms were wrapped around his knees, hugging them tight to his chest, and he rocked with the motion of the ship.

"Are you well?" Horatio asked, alarmed. What if Archie had one of his fits? Should he get the doctor? "Talk to me, Archie."

There was still no answer. It was almost as if Archie couldn't hear him, but he was sure that he was speaking loud enough to be heard. "It's all right, Archie," he said, crouching in front of him. "It's just a storm. A bad one, yes, but nothing we can't weather." He wasn't used to feeling like a more experienced sailor than his friend; usually it was he who found himself with a sour stomach and unsure footing in these situations. "Come now. Wouldn't you like to rest a while? Perhaps when we wake it will all have blown over."

Finally Archie looked at him, his blue eyes fixed and staring. "Don't let him find me," he hissed, reaching out to grab Horatio's arm. "Please don't let him find me." His grip was so tight Horatio thought it might leave bruises, even through layers of soggy wool.

He didn't have to ask who Archie meant, but it was troubling to find his friend in such a state when it had been weeks since they'd departed the _Justinian_. "He's not here, Archie," he said. "He's not on this ship."

Archie blinked. "A-Are you sure?"

"I'm quite sure," Horatio said. "He's not on our ship. We're safe here." He laid his hand over Archie's, prying his fingers loose but not letting go. "Nothing will happen to us here, Archie. That's all of it over."

The younger man still eyed him suspiciously, and Horatio finally gave in and sat down next to him, curling his long limbs into the small space and threading his arm around Archie's shoulders to pull him in close to his side. "I assure you that we are perfectly safe. I will not let anyone harm you."

Of course he couldn't promise that they were, in fact, safe in the middle of this storm, but he suspected that Archie had little concept of the danger of it, holed up down here. He'd known when they were on deck, but down here something much darker consumed him.

He felt the warmth from Archie's skin against his own as the younger man's head came to rest on his shoulder. He tipped his own so that his cheek was against his friend's hair. "See? You're safe."

Archie nodded slowly. "He's not here. He can't hurt us if he's not here."

"Exactly so," Horatio told him. He brushed a strand of hair back from Archie's temple where it had come loose from its ribbon. "That storm has passed. Now we only have to manage the more usual sort."

"Is it very bad?" Archie asked.

"It's quite a strong storm, yes," Horatio said. "Nothing the ship can't handle, though. I'm sure she's been through worse and come out the other side. The carpenter and his mate will have their work cut out for them, perhaps, replacing spars, and the crew swaying them. But that's what they do, isn't it?"

"Yes. It's good for the men to be kept busy." He still sounded a little distant, not quite there, but at least he didn't seem to be on the edge of panic anymore.

"Do you suppose we ought to head back to our berth?" Horatio asked. "We might as well catch sleep while we can, lest something come up and all hands are called."

Archie sighed and nodded. "I suppose you're right." He didn't really want to get up; he was comfortable here, close to his friend like they couldn't be when there were others around, but he knew that Horatio was right as usual. They should sleep while they could.

"Come, then," Horatio said, disentangling his arm and standing, offering Archie a hand up. He smiled as his friend took it, and he made sure he was steady on his feet before letting go. "Let us pray the sea decides only to rock us to sleep, and not pitch us straight onto deck."

"Amen," Archie said with a small smile of his own.


End file.
